Okanagan, BC Wine and Wineries:

BC Wine lovers may sip icewine made from harvested grapes or eat dinner at a winery restaurant. Many Okanagan, BC wines can also be tasted at the annual Okanagan Spring Wine Festival. Some BC wineries have places to stay for wine tasters who combine wine tours and other Spring activities. Spring is simply a wine tour and wine tasting paradise at an Okanagan, BC winery. The BC Wine Museum & VQA Wine Shop in Kelowna's Cultural District hosts free wine tastings the first Thursday of every month. Wine is part of the Okanagan lifestyle: wine tours and tastings are possible Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall. There are many articles and videos about Okanagan, BC wineries, wine festivals, wine touring, and wine tasting that capture life in 'wine country'.

Wine Words:Okanagan, BC Wine Tour Comments

"We loved seeing Summerhill Pyramid Winery the most. Our Winery tour guide was phenomenal - truly knowledgeable and a delight to spend an afternoon with. Our only regret is that our wine tour ended much too soon! We're very grateful to have received such fantastic service and can't wait to return to Kelowna to try some of the other Okanagan, BC wine tours."

BC Wine Tour Client - Distinctly Kelowna Wine Tours

Wine 101: Weekly Okanagan, BC Wine Fact

Acidic white wines not oak aged are best for marinades, risotto and sautéeing chicken.

Featured Okanagan, BCWine Label

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The Okanagan, BC Wine Cycle

An Okanagan BC, winery is within biking distance from many hotels, motels and restaurants. Some wine lovers bike the Kettle Valley Rail Trail to the Myra Canyon Trestles to have lunch and sip wine. BC wine enthusiasts may also bike several kilometres from a golf course or orchard to a local winery for a meal and wine tasting. Nature lovers may also bike ride then canoe on Lake Okanagan to a BC winery for lunch. The history of Okanagan, BC winemaking can be discovered at the BC Wine Museum & VQA Wine Shop in Kelowna’s Cultural District.

Okanagan, BC Wine Education Series Tasting (WEST)

BC wine lovers can head WEST – to the Wine Education Series of Tastings – when strolling through Kelowna’s Cultural District. WEST’s wine education program is conducted by the BC Wine Museum & VQA Wine Shop on Ellis Street. Participants can sample and savour BC red, white, dessert, and sweet ice wines and munch on appetizers. Learnings from WEST seminars are useful when later deciding what Okanagan, BC wine to order at a restaurant. Attending WEST is a nice introduction to wines before attending a wine tasting event at one of four annual Okanagan, BC wine Festivals. Go WEST when visiting Kelowna and discover Okanagan wines at an Okanagan, BC, winery.

Okanagan, BC Wine and Fly

Rolling vineyards, shimmering lakes and mountainous parks look majestic from the sky. Wine lovers can fly on a full or half-day helicopter tour of an Okanagan, BC winery. Wine tour participants then enjoy a vineyard tour, restaurant meal and breath-taking Lake Okanagan views. BC wine lovers can extend their stay and live by the beach at nearby lakeside resort. More wine tasting may be experienced in Kelowna’s Cultural District at the BC Wine Museum & VQA Wine Shop’s Wine Education Series Tasting (WEST).

Okanagan, BC Wine Festivals

The Okanagan, BC region is wine country: Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter. Four annual wine festivals mix wine tours, wine tasting and wine seminars with entertainment and restaurant cuisine. Buds come out in May at the Okanagan Spring Wine Festival and so do wine lovers who wish to celebrate over fine BC wine and culinary tours. The Okanagan Summer Wine Festival at Silver Star Ski Resort is held on a hot Okanagan August weekend: full of arts, music and other activities. Wine lovers can sip BC wine and eat to celebrate the BC grape harvest at the Okanagan Fall Wine Festival. The annual Okanagan Icewine Festival at Sun Peaks Ski Resort is a menu of eating, education and snowy recreation.

Traveling with Okanagan, BC Wine

Okanagan, BC wine lovers may protect wine bought at winery, wine store, the BC Wine Museum & VQA Wine Shop, or a wine festival in many ways. Wine should be unopened for a few weeks to allow flavours and aromas to recover from bottle shock: caused by vibrations due to car, plane, bus, or other travel. While traveling, wine should be stored at close to room temperature: about 17 degrees Celsius. Corked Okanagan, BC wine bottles are best positioned on their side to prevent the cork from drying out; wine bottles capped with screw tops should be stored upright.

BC Wine Museum & VQA Wine Shop

The BC Wine Museum & VQA Wine Shop in Kelowna's Cultural District sells Okanagan, BC wines and displays BC winemaking history. Wine lovers may enjoy daily, free wine tastings, admire winemaking artifacts and equipment and browse wine memorabilia. The wine shop also sells wine-related accessories such as corkscrews, wine decanters and wine glasses. Complimentary wine tastings and appetizers are offered by the wine shop at a monthly ‘Neighborhood Nosh’ event; held the first Thursday of every month. The wine shop’s experienced wine associates help wine customers pick Okanagan, BC wine to complement a meal or mark a special occasion. Okanagan, BC wine lovers can also receive tips on how to properly package and store wine when traveling home by bus, car, plane, or other means of transportation. The BC Wine Museum & VQA Wine Shop are open Winter, Spring, Fall, and Summer from Monday to Sunday, including holidays: admission is by donation.

Okanagan, BC Wine Tasting Tips

Okanagan, BC wine lovers may use wine-tasting techniques to appreciate wine bought at an winery, restaurant, wine store, the BC Wine Museum & VQA Wine Shop, or a wine festival. A wine glass should be held by the stem to avoid changing the wine’s temperature: this can distort the taste. Swirling an Okanagan, BC wine in a glass, taking a small first sip and then swishing it around to clean the palate improve the wine tasting experience. A second sip of wine ensures that all tastebuds have been properly introduced before conducting the final wine taste. Breathing air through the nose while wine tasting intensifies the wine’s smell and taste sensations. While tasting different Okanagan, BC wines, eating a cracker or chip will prevent one wine’s aromas and tastes from impacting those of another wine.

The Heart of Okanagan, BC Wine Country

Over 15 Kelowna, BC wineries on Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR), Westbank First Nation (WFN) and other land produce internationally-award winning wines. Every Okanagan, BC winery offers wine lovers a unique choice of tastes and experiences: sipping red wine at an outdoor concert, making a wine toast on a sandy beach, or eating a picnic lunch with white or sweet dessert wine. Wine lovers may also visit the BC Wine Museum & VQA Wine Shop in Kelowna’s Cultural District to learn about the history of BC winemaking. Wine Country is also ripe with opportunities to taste, tour and shop for wine at Kelowna’s many restaurants, golf courses, wine stores, hotels, and four annual Okanagan, BC wine festivals.

Okanagan, BC Wine Grape Stomp

An Okanagan, BC winery can be a fun place at which wine lovers may stomp a barrel of grapes picked in the vineyard - then sit down for a wine tasting. The act of grape stomping involves gently squeezing the grapes' juices using bare feet, and it should be done with great care so as to not tear the grape skins. Wine can’t be made from foot-stomped grapes for health reasons, but the stomping process itself is like an organic pedicure. An old-fashioned grape stomp may be performed at the Annual Festival of the Grape, and there are often grape stomping activities during the Okanagan Fall Wine Festival. Summerhill Pyramid Winery is one Okanagan, BC, winery at which larger groups may take-off their shoes and crush grapes while on a wine tour.

Adopt Okanagan, BC Grapevines at Red Rooster Winery

Okanagan, BC wine tasters may adopt a row of Malbec grapevines that their red wine is made from. The adopted row of grapes is labeled for wine tour groups and the adoptee wine lover to view on return winery visits. At Red Rooster Winery, adopting a row of grapevines entitles the wine loving sponsor to receive complimentary bottles of red and white wine. In some cases, discounts on wine purchases at the winery’s wine shop are offered to grapevine owners. Adopting a piece of an Okanagan, BC vineyard for one year is an example of wine fun that may be enjoyed besides wine tasting or taking a wine tour.

Wine & Spirit Education Trust Courses (WSET)

Okanagan, BC wine enthusiasts may take Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) courses before visiting one of many wineries for a wine taste and wine tour. The internationally recognized WSET wine courses teach wine novices about matching food and wine, the art of wine tasting, how wine is made, and tips for storing wine at home. More advanced courses cover topics such as how to grow grapes, wine labeling and viticulture. Wine & Spirit Education Trust courses are perfect for any wine lover who wishes to further appreciate Okanagan, BC wine varietals: budding wine writers, wine store staff, aspiring sommeliers, or those about to taste their first glass of wine.